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Mystery Publishers

Academy Chicago PublishersAn imprint of the Chicago Review Press. Features a number of interesting authors, most long out of print, plus some other odds and ends, including some horror stories by Conan Doyle.

Crippen & LandruCrippen & Landru publish mystery short story collections. Of particular interest is what they call "Lost Classics," a series of anthologies of mostly uncollected stories by authors who might be enjoyed by a new generation of readers.

Dean Street PressThis small British publisher has a great many classic crime books in its much broader catalog. They are bringing back many Golden Age classics by authors who deserve another chance at a new audience.

Felony & MayhemThis publisher specializes in classic mysteries, broadly defined, including newer mysteries that adhere to classic standards. They have just overhauled their website to make it much more informative and user-friendly.

Langtail PressA fairly new Print On Demand publisher specializing mostly in classic mysteries. The managing director, James Prichard is the great-grandson of Agatha Christie, and his lineage shows. Authors include John Dickson Carr, Ellery Queen, Anthony Berkeley, and Freeman Wills Crofts, among others. Many are also published as ebooks for the Amazon Kindle.

Locked Room InternationalA small press, specializing in very good English-language translations of (so far) mostly-French authors of locked room and impossible crime stories. They publish in Print-On-Demand and electronic editions.

Merion PressThe Merion Press is an independent publisher of out-of-print works that were originally published over 75 years ago, but are enduring even today.

MysteriousPress.comThe brainchild of editor/anthologist/author/bookstore-owner Otto Penzler, the Mysterious Press has recently returned to life and now works with Open Road Media as an electronic book publisher. It is already republishing the work of a lot of classic authors, with more books on the way.

Oconee Spirit PressA small, independent publisher committed to publishing "lively fiction, and provocative non-fiction." Most of their list covers early works by established authors writing traditional mysteries, such as Carolyn Hart and Margaret Maron.

Oleander PressThis small eclectic British publisher has begun publishing a series of classic British mystery novels, primarily from the Golden Age. The series is grouped into a section of their catalogue named "London Bound," as the books are set in London.

Ostara Publishing"Ostara Publishing re-issues titles that have unjustifiably become unavailable either through the ravages of time or the forces of publishing economics. We specialise in Crime and Thriller fiction titles and our range goes from the1920s through to the 21st century. We publish thematically and currently have six series available. All our titles are published in a 'trade paperback' format and printed to order."

Poisoned Pen PressBased in Scottsdale, Arizona, the Poisoned Pen Press publishes a fairly wide variety of mysteries. Some are reprints; many are new, by newer authors. Their website has a great deal of information about their books and authors.

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I am an Amazon Associate

That means that if you order anything from Amazon through a link from my site or the search box on my page, I get a small commission. As a result, I'd consider it a favor if you would consider making your purchases through my links. As always, though, if you have a local mystery book store, I encourage you to use them as your first choice. For anything else... Thank you.

March 17, 2014

"Dorothy L. Sayers: The Complete Stories"

Looking for more of Lord Peter Wimsey? You've read all the original novels (not to mention any continuations)? Never fear - how about a tasty collection of more than twenty short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers about Lord Peter? That, plus eleven stories featuring the very un-Wimsey-like Montague Egg and a dozen other marvelous stories, may be found in Dorothy L. Sayers: The Complete Stories, an anthology containing - as the title implies - all of Sayers' short mysteries. Dorothy L. Sayers: The Complete Short Stories is the subject of today's audio review on the Classic Mysteries podcast, and you can listen to the complete review by clicking here.

Lord Peter’s fans will find him in top form here in stories that range from clever and ingenious little tales of detection to straightforward Edgar Wallace-style thrillers. Some, to be sure, deal with murder, but there’s also a pretty good assortment of other crimes – including some which might as well be murder.

Two stories in particular may interest you, if you have wondered what happened to Lord Peter after he married Harriet Vane in the last Wimsey novel, Busman’s Honeymoon, you will find two late stories featuring our married hero. One, called “The Haunted Policeman,” dating from 1939, has Wimsey regarding – in some awe – his newborn son. The other, called "Talboys," Sayers' last Wimsey story, written in 1942, reveals that he and Harriet have had three sons, and we get to see some of his family life as well. To me, these stories are a special treat.

The eleven stories featuring Montague Egg are also great fun. They are traditional, puzzle-oriented mysteries, starring a protagonist who, as a wholesale commercial wine salesman, is quite far from Lord Peter's aristocratic background. The remaining stories are all crime and/or detection stories, usually with a twist which will surprise the reader with a touch of humor - or of horror.

This anthology also has an introduction by mystery critic James Sandoe, who was responsible, more than 40 years ago, for compiling these short stories into a single volume. This new edition from Bourbon Street Books, a HarperCollins imprint, also contains an Afterword, by Alexander McCall Smith. Both essays provide additional information about Sayers and about her characters, and they really do add immeasurably to the pleasure you’ll find in this volume. It belongs on your bookshelf.

This review will be another entry in the My Reader's Block blog Vintage Mystery Bingo Challenge, covering the square for "one short story collection." And my thanks again to Sally Powers, who sent me my review copy, for allowing me to cannibalize portions of the review of this book which I contributed to her I Love a Mystery Newsletter.

Comments

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Les - I think a lot of people don't think about what a skilled writer of short stories Sayers really was. Folks, I do recommend this collection: good stories, Sayers' solid wit, and some interesting characters too. What's not to like?

I got a copy of the Sayers short stories last year or was it the year before? Well, anyway. I thought I was buying something else and lo and behold the short story omnibus arrived on my doorstep. Thoroughly enjoyed reading all the stories which I sort of did in one giant gulp. :)

The omnibus was originally published some years ago, Yvette, but this new edition with the Smith Afterword was only published quite recently. I'm glad you enjoyed the stories; Sayers was a marvelous writer.